Manan ff – Unconditional Love – The drunk Manik ! Episode 39

Recap: Manik and Nandini’s date starts, as tagged by Nandini. Both of them drive to the farmhouse and Nandini succeeds in drenching Manik in colors, something he hated !

Nyonika reached the backyard to find Manik in the pool with some girl whose face wasn’t visible to her because of the colors covering her entire face. Nyonika was well aware of Manik’s hatred towards Holi and therefore she didn’t quite expect him to attend the party but to her surprise she saw him enjoying the festival and the reason seemed to be the girl with whom he seemed to be quite happy.

She was about to move forward to meet them when the butler called out to her. She had to leave then to go forward and welcome the guests but she did have a hint now to Manik’s sudden visit to India and wanted to somehow find out the whole truth during the party. Before going towards the entrance she gave some instructions to one of the waiters pointing towards Manik and Nandini.

Manik: (angrily) Nandini !! What have you done ?

Nandini: (laughing out loud) Umm what happened Manik ? Seems like you don’t really like Holi ?

Manik: (embarrassed) No..nothing like that ! It was just too sudden for me and therefore I reacted that way !

Nandini: (laughing louder) Look at your face !! It clearly says, “I hate Holi !” Come now, let’s get out of here. This pool is too small to accommodate the both of us.

Saying that she gets up but her leg slips due to the water and she falls on Manik with such a force making the pool turn over upside down emptying all the water over them and on the floor covering both of them beneath it. She was lying on top of him with her hands resting on the floor on either side of his shoulders and he had his hands on her waist.

Both of them were lost in the moment staring into each other’s eyes as the friendly moment had suddenly turned into a heated romantic situation. But to their surprise, none of them found it uncomfortable. It was as if the moment was meant to be for them, just perfect ! Suddenly, Nandini started rubbing her eyes irritatingly and got up, moving the pool aside. A concerned Manik followed her and she said,

Nandini: (still rubbing her eyes) Ouch Manik !! These colors, they’re itching !! I think these are the permanent type colors. I can’t take this anymore !! Oh god it’s so itchy !

Manik who could not see her in that pain even for a second immediately took her inside the farmhouse and into a washroom to get cleaned up. The guests had started arriving and Nyonika saw Manik take her inside but again could not see her face as she had it covered with her hands trying to scratch her eye because of the constant itching. Now she was more sure about Manik’s connection with that girl and was really impatient to find out the whole story.

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Cabir parked the car outside and the Fab 5 along with navya and abhimanyu except Nandini who was already in there, moved inside for the party. Everyone was dressed in white and were walking through in couples. Cabir and Navya were followed by Mukti and Abhimanyu hand in hand and then followed Dhruv and Aliya who weren’t actually walking in as a couple but were moving together alongside one another. Aliya saw Mukti-Abhimanyu and Cabir-Navya walk together and wished she could be walking in with Dhruv like that. Just then she sensed a soft touch on her hand and she moved her gaze towards it to find her fingers getting entangled in another hand. She looked up to find Dhruv smiling at her holding her hand tight. She kept staring at him in disbelief for a while after which she too tightened her grip on his hand and proceeded with him.

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Nandini washed her face several times to get the colour out of her eyes and free herself of the itching. Manik was standing beside her waiting with a towel in his hand for her to clean herself. When she was finished washing, he handed her the towel and she wiped her face with it.

Nandini: So you’re my personal assistant ? Waiting for me with the towel, accompanying me to the washroom, driving me in here.

Manik: Madam, in case you’ve forgotten, we’re here on a date together. And being the perfect gentleman I am, just doing my duty.

Nandini: Oh so that’s your duty is it ?

Just then she received a message on her phone and she checked it to find cabir’s message asking her about her whereabouts since they had arrived to the party.

Nandini: (panicked) Oh my god ! Listen now we’ll have to either discontinue this date thing, or keep it a little secret.

Manik: (confused) What ? Why ?

Nandini: Actually I lied to my friends about coming to the party. I didn’t tell them I’m coming with you. Didn’t know how would they have reacted. So now since I have started this we have to continue it that way. So I go outside and you come later and behave as if we weren’t together !

She joins her friends and Manik moves towards the other guests to greet them. He soon loses sight of her and that starts bothering him. For a change he had been enjoying the festival for the first time since she was with him and now that they were separated and the place was filled with so many people, he hated the festival again ! He first went up to the butler and scolded him for using the permanent colors in the water pools. The butler apologised and promised to get the water changed as soon as possible. He was then constantly looking for her roaming around the place, meeting different people at a few intervals when a waiter reached up to him with a tray full of glasses of the famous drink of the festival, “Bhaang” (Hemp). He took one glass and finished it in one go, his eyes constantly searching for Nandini. The waiter did not move even after that and that made Manik take up two more glasses and finish them instantly.

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Cabir: Nandini, seems like you were too excited for the festival ! Already all drenched in colors ?

Nandini: No actually we just feel in one of those pools accidentally and…

Cabir: (interrupting her) We ? Who is the other person ? Okay let me guess.

He started looking around for another person as drenched in colors as Nandini and found Manik to be in the same condition.

Cabir: (surprised) Manik ?! So you were with Manik ?

Nandini: What ? No ! Why do you say that ?

Mukti: (turning her gaze towards Manik) Actually Cabir seems to be right Nandu ! Look there’s just the two of you in the whole party like this. All others have just started playing.

Nandini: (nervously) Yeah so…so what ? I told you guys I would reach here early and since it is his party he was already here and we just slipped into a pool by mistake…so …so what’s the big deal ?

Cabir: No big deal Nandini ! You’re making it a big deal by getting so nervous.

Dhruv’s anger got agitated at that and he left without uttering a single word.

Aliya: Don’t worry guys, I’ll get him.

Aliya follows him and nandini’s face turns pale.

Cabir: Don’t worry ! Aliya would take care of him. She’s too good at it ! Cheer up !

Navya: Yes Nandini ! Don’t worry ! Come let’s play Holi.

Cabir: (to Navya) Oh yes madhubala come lets play….

Saying that he picks her up in his arms and carries her to the nearest pool dumping her in mischievously.

Nandini: (to Mukti and Abhimanyu) Excuse me ! I’ll go and look for Dhruv.

Mukti and abhimanyu were the silent types as they were not the wild Holi lovers but the sweet romantic couple. They kept standing there observing the cute fights between Cabir and Navya from a distance. Just then, Abhimanyu saw someone entering the party and that made him nervous. Mukti noticed his sudden change of expressions and turned around to check. She understood what had been bothering him and dragged him aside.

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Manik had been looking for Nandini when he heard someone call out his name. He stopped and turned around to find Harshad. He waited there while Harshad walked up to him.

Manik: What are you doing here Harshad ?

Harshad: Why you forgot already ? The party is for SPACE and I am very much a part of the college. By the way it seems like you’ve lost focus of your mission, since you’ve started getting involved in organising such parties and stuff ! Not that I don’t like it ! I love it ! Because at least I am focused on my plan.

Manik: Harshad ! You’re so stupid ! This is Manik’s style ! I like to keep it subtle ! So don’t worry, behind all of this, my plan is still in progress.

Soha saw Harshad from a distance talking to someone. She couldn’t see Manik’s face and rushed towards Harshad to give him a hug. She reached up to the boys and was about to throw her arms around Harshad when she saw Manik and suddenly turned towards him and took him into a hug instead.

Soha: Happy Holi Manik !

Manik: (hugging her back uncomfortably) Happy Holi Soha !

She had been so nervous because of the blunder she had almost made that she didn’t let go of Manik for quite some time. Since Manik had been feeling uncomfortable, he pushed her away slowly breaking the hug. He then excused himself to look for Nandini, now that Harshad was in the party, he needed to be with her.

Nandini had been observing the prolonged hug between Manik and Soha from a distance and that quite disturbed her. “He’s here on a date with me, and is roaming around giving hugs to other girls !” she thought to herself angrily and moved towards him.

Manik took two more glasses of hemp on the way as offered by the waiter, finished them up and reached to Nandini.

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Harshad dragged Soha aside as soon as Manik left.

Harshad: Are you crazy Soha ? What do you think you were doing out there ? What if you would have hugged me in front of him ?

Soha: Okay I’m sorry baby ! But I didn’t ! So now can you please calm down ?

Harshad: No I can’t Soha ! This is serious business ! I can’t let you ruin my plan like that ! I’ve finally started getting closer to Nandini and your one wrong move would have crushed it all !

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Nandini: (reaching up to Manik angrily) I thought you were here on a date with me !

Manik: (speaking dizzily) So I am darling !

Nandini: (confused) What’s wrong with you ?

Manik: (still in the drunk dizzy state) Me ? What’s wrong with me ? I thought I’m the right guy ! Nobody told me my character has been changed to the wrong !

Nandini: Manik are you drunk ?

Manik: Drunk ? I don’t know ! But what I know is, that I’m loving this festival !

Nandini: You’re definitely drunk ! Oh god you’re going to make a fool out of yourself. Come let’s go inside.

She drags him in the farmhouse and into one of the rooms upstairs. By the time she shuts the door and turns around, she does not find him in the room. She looks around for him but is unable to locate him. She then hears some noise and bends down to find him below the bed hiding like a kid.

Manik: Oh no ! You caught me ! Okay now I’ll hunt you ! Go hide.

Saying that he comes outside and covers his eyes with his hands. Nandini removes his hands from his eyes and says,

Nandini: Manik, we’re not playing hide and seek. Now just sit here and let me think of a way to get you out of this state !

Since Nandini had been talking to him quite sweetly, he obeys her instructions and settles on the bed with his finger on the lips like an obedient child. Nandini starts pacing up and down the room thinking of a way to help him but is unable to locate anything. She tries searching something on the Internet on her phone but that very moment itself her phones battery goes dead.

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Mukti: But Abhi, you said he works from the Delhi office right ?

Abhimanyu: I don’t know ! Maybe Manik has called all the employees even from across the state ?! I can’t face him Mukti ! I can’t !

Mukti: But Abhi, he’s your father. Of course you can face him and you should !

Abhimanyu: He hates me Mukti ! I know it !

Mukti: No ! A father can never hate his son, no matter what !

Abhimanyu: Maybe you’re right ! But what I did to my parents, they have nothing but to hate me !

Mukti: But you did all of it to hide your cancer from them at that time ! Now that you’re fine, you should go and meet them. C’mon Abhi ! You can do this !

Abhimanyu: No I can’t ! At least not today. Please ! I’m not ready yet. Can we please leave ?

Mukti agrees to his plea because of his nervousness she could clearly sense. They call for a cab and leave.

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Nandini was sitting on the bed with her head bent low and covered in her hands, as she had lost all hope of getting herself and Manik out of that situation. Manik was sitting at a distance on the same bed like an obedient child with his fingers still on his lips. Seeing Nandini sitting there hopeless made him upset and he slowly got up from his place and settled himself beside her, his finger still on his lips all this while. He then removed his finger from the lips and patted her back lightly with his hand as if consoling her. She looked up surprisingly towards him and he gave her a sweet smile. That made her forget all her worries and give him back a smile.

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Nyonika started getting restless now that she was unable to locate Manik in the entire party for a long time. She angrily called the same waiter whom she had give the instructions.

Nyonika: Why aren’t you doing your job ? I told you to keep serving Manik the hemp constantly during the whole party.

Waiter: Sorry mam ! Actually I had been serving it to him since the beginning of the party but since the last 1/2 hour I’m not able to locate him. Seems like he’s not in the party.

Nyonika: (angrily) So then you haven’t been doing your job properly. Now go and look for him and keep serving him the drink.

Nandini was sitting on the bed with Manik’s head resting in her lap lying beside her. She was softly caressing his hair lovingly and he was simply enjoying the moment and was about to fall asleep. Right then, she stopped and removed her hand from his forehead which made him jump awake.

Manik: Why did you stop ? I was loving it !

Nandini: So for how long do you want me to keep doing that ?

Manik: (after thinking for a while) Forever ! You know what Nandini ? I want you near me forever ! I’ve always wanted that but it never happened all these years and now that it’s happening, I don’t want this time to end ! You’re…you’re so nice….I like you very much ! Just don’t go away from me ever ! Please !

He had been saying a of it because of the hemp and was behaving like a little kid asking his mom to always be by his side. He had always felt all of this for Nandini but when in his senses, had never got the courage to speak his heart out. Now that he had said it, Nandini kept staring at him trying to grasp what he has just said to her. She could sense something more to his feelings behind his words. She could feel as if his feelings were much more elaborate than the few words he had spoken. When her staring continued for a long time, he shook her awake to bring her back to reality. She immediately shed all those thoughts and decided to take Manik back home so that he could go to sleep comfortably away from the party and the embarrassment from his guests.

She sneaked him out of the party carefully making sure nobody would find him, made him sit in his car in the passenger seat and drove off.

Precap: Harshad at Nandini’s place trying to complete his mission. Manik reaches up to save Nandini from his evil plans. Manik angry at Nandini for going close to Harshad. Would he reveal Harshad’s plan to her ? Or before that would Harshad succeed in his mission ?

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Hope you guys liked the holi update ! I know it’s been so long to the actual festival and this update got delayed..but as I have already mentioned, it’s because of my studies…please leave in your feedbacks about the update and also your guesses on the next part !

PaNi update coming soon !

Thank you !

Lots of love ❤️

Medhavi

#behappy

#spreadsmiles